what did you do today? (2008-2015) (closed)

[LauAnn]

Took down the Christmas decorations (inside and out). Also tried to set up my brother's wireless internet collection but failed. I'm fairly computer literate except when it comes to the wireless network part. Usually my success in that area is due to dumb luck.

 

[happy2bretired]

I've had so much fun over the last several days. I treated myself to a new Apple MacBook Pro (cheapest one) and have been setting it up. Since Quicken left me in the dust, I went with IBank and so far I really like it. Imported all my Quicken data with no problems. Finished setting up my 2012 budget this morning so I'm all ready for 2012.

I also purchased Apple TV and now have Netflix....

 

[easysurfer]

Today..I'm gonna watch football, football and more football

 

[brewer12345]

Been sick on and off for a week and a half now. So much for my vacation. Started a course of antibiotics this morning, partly out of desperation. A return to work is looming on Tuesday...

 

[NW-Bound]

Ahhhh...you know I've been thinking about what you might look like...the best I could come up with was something like this..... I believe you have thick dark hair and it may be longer than is shown in the photo.../

Yes, it is true that I have thick dark hair. Too much of it. In fact that I often wonder how free I would feel if I shaved my head. And it grows so fast that without frequent hair cuts, I would look like this.

About the photo that you post, as they say, "Clothes do make the man". Most men would look a lot better in a dapper suit.

Ah, it makes me feel like taking out my long-neglected suits to see if they have got any moth holes. And to try them on. Like Ha has said in a post, he once tried on a nice suit in a store and fell in love and wanted to kiss himself.

 

[TromboneAl]

One party down, one to go.

 

[bbbamI]

Been sick on and off for a week and a half now. So much for my vacation. Started a course of antibiotics this morning, partly out of desperation. A return to work is looming on Tuesday...

Sorry you've been sick brewer....and on your vacation...that sucks.

Like Ha has said in a post, he once tried on a nice suit in a store and fell in love and wanted to kiss himself.

That's our Ha.

Speaking of rib ticklers, this is one of my favorite threads....


http://www.early-retirement.org/for...-from-the-ladies-42595.html?highlight=kissing

 

[Nords]

Our daughter's been home from college for two weeks and flies back on Friday. She starts second semester sophomore year next Monday. Civil engineering with a specialty in hydrology under Professor Bedient, one of the nation's finest CE profs who was probably teaching that class when [-]Noah was building the Ark[/-] Htown Harry was a sophomore. She's hanging tough with a 3.2 GPA, and that despite "C"s in physics, chemistry, & differential equations.

It's been a great two weeks, and we've really enjoyed [-]bragging on[/-] hanging out with our young adult. However today the dam finally burst under the long-term pressure buildup and all the "I just can't take it anymore!!" angst came spilling out. The college version of Sunday Night Syndrome.

As is our custom, those outbursts are our cue to volley the ball of "What's the worst that could happen?" back & forth. We started with her new-found skills & experience in adversity, perseverance, time management, prioritizing, and work-life balance. We got all the way down to dropping out of NROTC, resigning from Rice, and coming home to U of Hawaii to study something liberal-artsy like history or Hawaiian Studies while managing shifts at Taco Bell. Either that or going to sea as an E-3 in Deck Div on an amphib.

Turns out Rice & NROTC ain't so bad after all, and she was "just" being a little hard on herself. Yes, she has learned that she's not one of Rice's freakishly brilliant prodigies (of which there are many), but she's learning that she is hard-wired to be a nuclear submarine officer.

I blame her mother's genes.

 

[W2R]

Our daughter's been home from college for two weeks and flies back on Friday. She starts second semester sophomore year next Monday. Civil engineering with a specialty in hydrology under Professor Bedient, one of the nation's finest CE profs who was probably teaching that class when [-]Noah was building the Ark[/-] Htown Harry was a sophomore. She's hanging tough with a 3.2 GPA, and that despite "C"s in physics, chemistry, & differential equations.

It's been a great two weeks, and we've really enjoyed [-]bragging on[/-] hanging out with our young adult. However today the dam finally burst under the long-term pressure buildup and all the "I just can't take it anymore!!" angst came spilling out. The college version of Sunday Night Syndrome.

As is our custom, those outbursts are our cue to volley the ball of "What's the worst that could happen?" back & forth. We started with her new-found skills & experience in adversity, perseverance, time management, prioritizing, and work-life balance. We got all the way down to dropping out of NROTC, resigning from Rice, and coming home to U of Hawaii to study something liberal-artsy like history or Hawaiian Studies while managing shifts at Taco Bell. Either that or going to sea as an E-3 in Deck Div on an amphib.

Turns out Rice & NROTC ain't so bad after all, and she was "just" being a little hard on herself. Yes, she has learned that she's not one of Rice's freakishly brilliant prodigies (of which there are many), but she's learning that she is hard-wired to be a nuclear submarine officer.

I blame her mother's genes.

A good engineering school is just plain tough. Sounds like she's doing OK, though. Besides, I am a great believer in never giving up on a dream unless you clearly bomb out. Otherwise you might never get to find out if you could have done it or not. I'm glad she has decided to go back for another semester. One [-]day[/-] semester at a time, y'know.

Besides, some C's doesn't mean that she's not one of Rice's freakishly brilliant prodigies. Some of them make a few C's too, sometimes. Class average GPA can be lower than one might think. Once an engineering student is out of school for a while, nobody is going to ask him or her about their grades anyway.

 

[REWahoo]

Yes, she has learned that she's not one of Rice's freakishly brilliant prodigies (of which there are many)...

I think this is one of the toughest lessons any young, intelligent high-achiever has to learn. Growing up as one of the brightest bulbs in the local candelabra only to go off college to discover there are many other high-powered lights out there with even greater intensity can be a very humbling experience. It takes a while to come to grips with that and to get the ego adjusted to reality.

... but she's learning that she is hard-wired to be a nuclear submarine officer.

That's unfortunate but at least the world is becoming more and more accepting of those with debilitating conditions.

 

[pb4uski]

I've often kidded Jenny about how she tends to leave things open -- backpack, purse, etc. Lena mentioned that Jenny had left the garage door open, and I joked to J that she has a "closing disorder."
.

DW has the same thing!!!! Never (or so it seems) closes cabinet doors, never putting the cap in the toothpaste tube (and wondering why it gets dried out), never tightening caps on jars, etc. I think you are onto something with the notion of "closing disorder".

Does jenny's backpack, purse, etc. extend to cabinet doors, toothpaste tubes, jars, etc as well?

 

[pb4uski]

I think this is one of the toughest lessons any young, intelligent high-achiever has to learn. Growing up as one of the brightest bulbs in the local candelabra only to go off college to discover there are many other high-powered lights out there with even greater intensity can be a very humbling experience. It takes a while to come to grips with that and to get the ego adjusted to reality......

So true. Like sports, each next level is getting the best of the best so those who make the highest level are truly outstanding athletes.

One thing for them to keep in mind is that while smarts and knowledge are important to success in the workplace, the ability to apply knowledge, communicate and get along with others is as important if not more important. After all, what good is knowledge if it cannot be shared and used in the real world?

 

[Free To Canoe]

DW has the same thing!!!! Never (or so it seems) closes cabinet doors, never putting the cap in the toothpaste tube (and wondering why it gets dried out), never tightening caps on jars, etc. I think you are onto something with the notion of "closing disorder".

Does jenny's backpack, purse, etc. extend to cabinet doors, toothpaste tubes, jars, etc as well?

+1
DW also has this affliction. I am so embarrassed. I am glad we finally have a name for it. Now we need to organize a support group for the "Closers".

 

[M Paquette]

I took down the artificial Christmas tree, a nine foot Costco special we've been using for about seven years now. The process was expedited by our two resident tree inspection specialists (cats).

Earlier in the day I got to cool my heels for an hour at the local branch of our (soon to be former) gigabank. I apparently had asked for something beyond the tellers pay grade in requesting to close an account, and was sent to the office of the Senior Branch Vice President In Charge of Customer Accounts and Other Petty Cash. This executive was shocked to discover that my account information consisted of name, address, and SSN. You know, the stuff that went on a 3x5 card when you opened an account and got your toaster back in 1972.

Before she could close the account, she had to collect all that new information required these days to make sure ones banking is not a threat to National Security. "Your employer?". "None. ". And that's when the conversation got interesting... Seems I had fees waived for having paychecks deposited electronically. Heh. That had to be kicked upstairs to [-]Bangalore[\-]Atlanta for further consideration. We'll see if I wind up owing anything. I sort of doubt it. I left them drooling over the prospect of getting my investing business. (fat chance)

 

[pb4uski]

Might be easier to withdraw all but $1 and let it lie? I suspect that you wouldn't have to talk to anyone to do that and eventually they might come begging you to let them close the account.

 

[NW-Bound]

They may charge service fees, drive the balance negative, and dun you for overcharge fees, and then turn the account over to debt collectors.

 

[Walt34]

Warm (for January) and sunny yesterday so rode the motorcycle to work. It hadn't been out of the garage for over a week and I was starting to forget how much fun it is. Took the long way home just to enjoy the ride.

The weather forecast is for relatively warm weather and no rain so I'll probably ride the rest of the week. Gotta love modern cold-weather riding gear.

 

[M Paquette]

They may charge service fees, drive the balance negative, and dun you for overcharge fees, and then turn the account over to debt collectors.

Exactly! In this case they'd charge a $12/month service fee for not having a high balance or automatic payroll deposit. When the account balance goes to 11 dollars negative, there is a 36 dollar overdraft fee, additional monthly charges accrue. The bank contracts with a collection agency to do "pre-collection services", starting the harassment process 24 days after the balance goes negative.

Yes, they appear to hate their retail customers.

My expectation is that next month they'll credit one cent of interest, re-opening the account, followed by the service fee and overdraft charge. DD will have her law license issued from the bar by then...

 

[ls99]

Generally wasted the day... so what else is new. On my way back from the coffee shop noticed the huge geyser. Actually a fire dept truck was running tests on their pumpers.

 

[pb4uski]

Exactly! In this case they'd charge a $12/month service fee for not having a high balance or automatic payroll deposit. When the account balance goes to 11 dollars negative, there is a 36 dollar overdraft fee, additional monthly charges accrue. The bank contracts with a collection agency to do "pre-collection services", starting the harassment process 24 days after the balance goes negative.

Yes, they appear to hate their retail customers.

My expectation is that next month they'll credit one cent of interest, re-opening the account, followed by the service fee and overdraft charge. DD will have her law license issued from the bar by then...

I guess that is why I love my credit union!!!

 

[NW-Bound]

I worked on my class C motor home today.

...white knuckle experiences on the road... gusty wind ... blow ... off the road.

...putting in wonderful HD Bilstein shock absorbers, and a marvelous Hellwig add-on rear anti-roll bar... will not know until the next trip...

Thought I would give an update, in case anyone is curious, or has had or will have the same experience.

A few days ago, we took a short one-night trip to a small town 200 miles away. Did not have the toad in tow, but there was some wind. Not as bad as what I encountered in Wyoming, but enough for me to tell there was a big improvement.

Earlier, the RV was so sensitive to crosswind that my wife often asked "What are you doin'?", as if I was the one jerking the vehicle around on the highway. So, I said "Gosh, I am trying to keep us both alive here".

Well, that was not my actual reply, but I did not make up her accusation above.

On the road, I quickly learned to verify that there was indeed crosswind (wanted to be sure that it was not because of tire problems or something like that) by looking at the waving grass by the road side, and also to estimate the wind speed.

This time, man oh man, the driving was so less tiring!

Another difference was when I got passed by a semi. Used to be that I had to drive while watching the left-side mirror all the time, to prepare myself for when a big truck passed me. For, if I did not prepare myself and got caught by surprise, it would have blown me about 2 or 3 ft to the right as it passed. This time, well, maybe about 3 or 4 inches.

I cannot be 100% sure until a trip with the toad hooked up, but so far it's money and time well spent. Don't you love it when things work out like that?

 

[TromboneAl]

I am purging the filing cabinet. Here's a funny postcard that I scanned in before throwing away:



I choose between keep, throw away, scan, or put in a box in the attic. When I come across old manuals (amplifier, alarm system) I can sometimes find a PDF of the manual on line, and throw away the paper copy.

 

[TromboneAl]

I only got through the C's, what a job. It really shows how much less paper I generate now.

 

[Gumby]

It was up in the 60's here in CT today. I took advantage of the good weather to wash the roadster inside and out and properly put it away for the winter. Also had a contractor over to work up a quote to convert from oil heat to natural gas (Finally; I've been thinking about it for years.)


I also went to the bank to inventory my safe deposit box. I recently realized that I could not remember what was in it. This time, I prepared a written inventory. I would recommend the exercise.

 

[Khan]

I think this is one of the toughest lessons any young, intelligent high-achiever has to learn. Growing up as one of the brightest bulbs in the local candelabra only to go off college to discover there are many other high-powered lights out there with even greater intensity can be a very humbling experience. It takes a while to come to grips with that and to get the ego adjusted to reality.

Definitely what happened to me. Valedictorian at small high school, then got to college...